<p>saturday in NH</p>
<p>Teriwitt, I share your fear about Obama. I think he will scare some really scary people. I really like Edwards but I don’t think I can stand to hear about his family working in “the mills” one more time. Huckabee - I just don’t get that one.</p>
<p>Wow, FF, I don’t see Edwards as angry and negative at all. Are you remembering him from his days on the Kerry ticket maybe? He’s forceful, but I don’t see him as divisive. </p>
<p>I’d actually like to see Obama run against Huckabee because neither of them seem partial to negative campaigning, and that would be so refreshing.</p>
<p>Huckabee’s version of negative advertising is saying he won’t, doing it anyway, then saying he’s sorry, then showing everyone the negative ad he’s sorry about. I think he subscribes to the “bless your heart” method of negative advertising. It doesn’t matter what you say in the south, as long as you follow it with “bless your heart.”</p>
<p>Edwards campaign is VERY angry.</p>
<p>not as angry as Ron Pauls campaign</p>
<p>[TV</a> cuts candidates from debates, angering Paul backers - CNN.com](<a href=“http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/31/debate.limits.ap/?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail]TV”>http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/31/debate.limits.ap/?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail)</p>
<p>I agree- let em talk</p>
<p>My parents and brothers moved to NH in the l970’s and have seen quite a transformation there with the entire state flipping over from Republican to Democratic leaders, from state to local levels, especially in the last midterm elections. The migration from Massachusetts computer industry around Rtes 128 and 495 across state borders to escape taxes changed the fabric of Southern New Hampshire. Now there are more Democrats, and more with urban or suburban issues on their minds. </p>
<p>In Northern New Hampshire, the same old Yankee values hold strong. These include the most race-blind group of white people I’ve ever encountered. They really size people up tough, based on performance and character, but don’t evaluate based upon race. I think they might be harder to charm than Iowans, so if that issue between “likeable” vs. “electable” comes up, in NH “likeable” holds less weight than it does in the friendlier Midwest.</p>
<p>(deep breath) so, I think the NH folks will detest Huckabee’s evangelical overtones; will evaluate Obama as a candidate not a black candidate; and following tonight
will require Hillary to prove why she’s more electable than Obama. </p>
<p>From the NHites I know and met in my parents’ living room when they each served local elected offices in NH – I know they dislike anything resembling “group-think” or community-driven decisions; independent Yankees, it’s an old story. So I’m projecting they’d be less responsive to the community-vibe, warmth and personality dynamics that were so successful for Obama and Huckabee in Iowa. They’ll have every reason to be open towards Obama, but will hold prior negative feelings against Huckabee’s evangelical expressions. In terms of church, NH is strongly Congregational, unlike the Midwesterners. They’re religious, surely, but observant of boundaries with government.</p>
<p>Republicans: NH would be particularly creeped out about religion crossing over into politics, and I’m not sure how Huckabee can shed that in 5 days. </p>
<p>Democrats: If Obama reaches their hearts, they will respond to him as a man, not a black man. Hillary’s toughness is also a cultural fit with NH. </p>
<p>NH State motto: “Live Free or Die” says it all.</p>
<p>Quote: “Actually it was the Democrats and liberal media who were saying Clinton was the lock for President candidate and the winner in the general election.”</p>
<p>And that won’t stop. The new spin will be how meaningless the Iowa caucus really is, how statistically it is not a good predictor, how this will propel Hillary…</p>
<p>blah,blah,blah… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>So much for polls. 
Yawn. Now I have to go vote on Tuesday. Who will it be?</p>
<p>Thanks to CNN for the civics lesson last night in how differently the Democrats hold their caucuses in Iowa versus the Republicans, I was intrigued by it, and so was my D, since she will be taking AP Gov come November. They showed a small Democratic caucus being held in a farmhouse in Western Iowa…this tiny lady was there, all decked out in a Chris Dodd t-shirt and buttons, and she was being wooed by the Edwards and Obama camps in other rooms of the farmhouse trying to get her to join them…quite a process. Another shot was of a huge farmer-type, in suspenders, reading an Edwards statement as his surrogate in a monotone voice (every candidate gets a one minute statement). Neighbors in a small town getting together to voice where they want this country to go…this process wouldn’t work in New York without objects being flung : ) but interesting to watch nevertheless.</p>
<p>Is anyone else tired of the Abe Lincoln log cabin story of Edwards? Yes, we ALL know now that he grew up in a two room house in South Carolina. Yes, yes, yes!</p>
<p>Obama was awesome, I agree teriwtt. I have been a fan since his speech at the Kerry nominating convention. </p>
<p>It was a stark contrast to see Edwards, Clinton, Huckabee on the one hand and Obama on the other. Obama comes off as a leader while the others sound like politicians. Big difference. I guess Reagan had a bit of that. And before that, JFK.</p>
<p>David Gergen on CNN compared Obama’s oratory with JFK and MLK. Knowing how those two ended up, I am also really, really, incredibly worried about him being assasssinated during this election. It happened in Pakistan, it could happen here too. God I hope those FBI guys maintain tight security.</p>
<p>"Wow, FF, I don’t see Edwards as angry and negative at all. Are you remembering him from his days on the Kerry ticket maybe? "</p>
<p>No, he was a sweetheart in the 2004 campaign compared with his current message. Perhaps you are not picking up on it because you are part of his “choir”. However, to an independent or someone near the center his message comes across as a very hard “us versus them”, “we must do battle” message. In fact he himself has pointed out that that is what distinguishes his philosophy of governing versus the “compromise” message that Obama preaches.</p>
<p>Re: Third paragraph of post #31 - One of the commentators last night stated that the Clinton duo does not like to lose and could be very intimidating moving forward . He stated that Obama should “watch his back”. I hope that is not what he was implying!!</p>
<p>1sokkermom: Are you trying to implicate the Clintons (in advance) for a feared Obama assassination? If so you must really be a serious Clinton-hater. </p>
<p>I actually am one of those independents who is still in the “undecided” camp. Hillary is actually a pretty acceptable candidate for me, so are Edwards, Guiliani, McCain, and Romney. </p>
<p>What wasn’t acceptable to me (in 2000 or 2004) was Bush. I disapproved of Bush even during his peak approval ratings in the post-9/11, post Afghan war era. Bush and cronies have actually done so much damage to our country that it often makes me wonder whether they actually deliberately want to destroy it. I always think of Bush/Cheney when I hear “all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC”. I am still concerned about how much more damage these guys will do to our country in the next one year and two weeks.</p>
<p>I am not implicating anyone. I was just surprised at the commentator’s dialogue.</p>
<p>I am still undecided as well.</p>
<p>Since this is a college thread, S is going back to school tomorrow. He just voted (absentee) in NH. He did not vote for a Democrat.</p>
<p>Actually, it had been the entire spectrum of mainstream political pundits who seemed eager to annoite (sp?) Clinton as the nominee, including the hardly-liberal folks at Fox News.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, if you had checked out the more liberal of the Democratic blogs, you would have seen that many of those folks don’t particularly like Clinton preferring Obama or Edwards. While we prefer her over any of the likely GOP nominees, her voting record especially in relation to Iraq and Iran don’t sit particularly well with us. For those of you who see her as some big bad liberal, you’re living in the past. It’s akin to judging the current President based on his binge drinking in college.</p>
<p>Clinton is not out of it. Too well-funded and too smart.</p>
<p>As to the rest of them, Obama is trying hard to stake out some centrist positions while Edwards is trying to play up class differences, the old-school Democratic position that has seen its time come and go. </p>
<p>The nomination will go to Clinton or Obama. If that’s true, I hope they will win or lose based on their merit rather than the gender or race.</p>
<p>When my in-laws were here, my s found this website that you take a political quiz and it shows who you are most like on their platforms…My in laws who are Hillary supporters found out they are more aligned with Edwards and Obama. They absolutely hate Obama and said if he wins this will be the 1st time in over 50 yrs that they would not vote…I believe them. They however said that they are now going to support Edwards if he is still on the ballot for their primary, otherwise the vote goes to Hillary.</p>
<p>The test also aligned my h, s and I to the candidates we actually do support. So our votes are staying as we thought. I will also not vote if Huckabee wins, unless Richardson wins (doubtful) b/c my vote would be the vote for the lesser of evils.</p>
<p>if you want to take it go to [Political</a> Philosophy Quiz](<a href=“http://www.politicalquiz.net%5DPolitical”>http://www.politicalquiz.net)</p>
<p>I’m still somewhat undecided, though leaning toward Obama. I took my younger son to a rally – my son’s first political rally! – for Obama, and I was able to get backstage, shake his hand and have a photo with him. I had no credentials at all!!! Scary that anyone could get this close.</p>
<p>bullet and pima, why don’t they like Obama?</p>
<p>to bulletand pima: Goodness why do they hate Obama?</p>